...Rough Draft Can isolation from society be a good thing? The only acceptable conclusion to such an ambiguous musing is one confined to a single interpretation. Thus, in an effort to ensure a common apprehension and consequently eradicate the infinitely many (and equally justifiable) perceptions and corresponding conclusions that would inevitably arise and conflict, the following denotation will serve as the foundation for the remainder of this essay: isolation, observed in a strictly sociological light, is the state or process in which a person loses or does not have communication with society, in this case any organized group of persons associated together for religious, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purposes. Margin...
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...Today’s society has been exposed with all kinds of different platforms and apps such as whatsapp and facebook which has made interaction and communication behind the screen easy and effortlessly. The days of talking on the phone and having simple conversations are a thing in the past. The advancement of social media hinders the development of social skills such as communication and interaction. Sherry Turkle, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who obtained Ph. D in Sociology and Personality psychology at Harvard University wrote in her book “Alone together”. “Technology promises to let us do anything from anywhere with anyone. We may be free to work from anywhere, but we are also prone to being lonely everywhere. We turn to new technology to fill the void, but as technology ramps up, our emotional lives ramp down.” This outlines the effects of technology on our intimacies. Technology promise us the availability to connect from anywhere with people around the world but we may feel alone because we are communicating with people via the internet. This may cause the lack of social interactions and face-to-face communication. Is it worth it to embrace the convenience and efficiency of technology to communicate at the expense of our social and interaction skill? Statistics by Dr. Ilardi, author of The Depression Cure and associate professor of psychology at the University of Kansas “In 2009, 25% of Americans reported they felt like they cannot confide...
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...In the novel , “Frankenstein”, by Mary Shelley, it is composed by the theme of family, society, and isolation. With this in mind, tragedy, murder, and despair occur simply because of lack of connection. People ask why the monster seeks revenge on his creator. At first it is nothing but joy and happiness because Victor creates a monster brining him from the dead. However, the monster begins to feel emotions and begins to have desires of his own. With this in mind, the novel's theme of how revenge can affect someone and his or her family creates and paints a picture of drama and suspense. The novel includes Family, Society, and Isolation. As a result, the monster victor has created demolished Visitor’s family. Victor had denied the creatures desires of having a woman monster to live with. The monster became really upset and he threatened Victor by telling him,”It is well. I go; but remember, I shall be with you on your wedding-night..” (Shelley 74). Victor became really frightened and decided to flee away in a boat. Once he arrived to town they gave him the news that Justine, Clerval, and William had been murdered. Furthermore, Victor was put in jail two months later where...
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...In The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, isolation is a common theme that contributes to character development throughout the novel. Junot Diaz, in his narration of Oscar’s life through the eyes of Yunior, induces the idea that isolation is a self-imagined way for a character or person to justify his/her differences from society and the people around them. While there are outside forces that contribute to the feeling of isolation, such as cultural differences, immigration, and gender stereotypes and expectations; in the end, Diaz firmly believes that a person’s feeling of isolation is a crutch to reason why he/she does not fit in. Diaz believes that the feeling of isolation is a self-imagined feeling that helps a person justify why he/she is an outcast in society. In the novel, the theme of isolation is common throughout all the main characters; Oscar, Lola, and Beli. To start with, Oscar begins as a typical Dominican male. As a child, Oscar was considered “a Casanova” who was “a ‘normal’ Dominican boy raised in a ‘typical’ Dominican family” (11). Oscar eventually grows “fatter and fatter,” develops “zits,” and gets “self-conscious” because his “interest in “Genres...bec[o]me[s] synonymous with being a loser...” (16, 17). Because Oscar suddenly turns into an outcast, he blames his dorkiness and homely appearance for his lack of acceptance by the outside world. What Diaz underlines, though, is that Oscar has control over his life, but isolates himself by letting...
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...The Effect of Isolation Through out the story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and the film, “Santa Sangre,” the main characters finds themselves led into a state of insanity. In the story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the narrator explains that she is suffering from post partum depression, leaving her husband to treat her with rest cure or bed rest. During this time, she is placed in a solitary room with walls covered in yellow wallpaper. Similarly, through out “Santa Sangre,” Phoenix grows up with his family in a circus, only to end up losing them. He was locked in a trailer as his father had an affair, murdered his mother by cutting off both her arms and then committed suicide in front of Phoenix. He is then forced to be on his own and grow up living an introverted life away from society. The over abundance of social isolation these characters experience leads to their states of insanity. Through out “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the narrator is locked away in an isolated room, which was supposed to cure her disorder, but instead, the treatment makes her worse. With the locked door and barred windows, she is secluded from the real world and what was once supposed to refresh her mind, dulls it. She finds herself only exposed to the yellow wallpaper that surrounds her, which is explained as a scattered and unorganized pattern. The constant isolation, time for examination and reflections of this wallpaper causes her to become further insane. “On a pattern...
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...What is isolation? The Oxford dictionary implies that isolation is the state of being separated from people, or a situation in which you do not have the support from others. Statistics display 1 in 5 people experience isolation which in severe cases leads to depression and anxiety. Isolation is also found in the film ‘Edward Scissor hands’ as we see the main character, Edward, is inconsiderately isolated of the means of his odd physical appearance. The theme isolation is frequently highlighted in the film ‘Edward Scissor Hands’ as a series of chain events occurred due to him being isolated. Edwards isolation ushered him to be socially awkward, not knowing how to act around people. This means he hasn't had time to build his defence mechanisms, leaving him vulnerable to gossipy housewives and macho bullies. This is evident when Jim takes advantage of Edwards ability to unlock doors and when Jim is able to physically and mentally abuse Edward with out retaliation. Through all these events, Edward is not able to comprehend the fast pace society due to his isolation. In the society we live in today, we see and encounter isolation frequently. One of the most common types, is social isolation. Social isolation is a process in which someone stops communicating or cooperating with society. They are essentially mentally...
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...To Dwell in Isolation Consider a life away from the busy traffic and noises of the city. A life in peaceful serenity secluded in nature that allows a clear mind and focused thoughts without distracting annoyances. Does it sound like the perfect setting for a writer? Emily Dickinson seemed to think so as it is well known that she spent much of her life in isolation from society. In her poem “I dwell in Possibility” a comparison is made between the house of poetry and the house of prose with favor towards the house of poetry. However, this comparison goes much deeper. The house of poetry actually represents Emily Dickinson’s way of life in isolation, and the house of prose represents a life in mainstream society. Dickinson uses a unique metaphor,...
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...and ‘The Clown Punk’, the idea of isolation is central. However, the poems contrast in the way in which the personas deal with and feel about their isolation. In ‘Give’, the persona is both bitter and helpless in his isolation, it seems that wherever he goes, he causes a scene, and Armitage also explores how the persona feels about his isolation and how the persona attempts to escape from it, whereas in ‘The Clown Punk’, Armitage explores the why and how the persona is isolated, and the persona seemingly makes no attempt to escape from isolation, perhaps because he is forced into it by past decisions. The poems are similar in that...
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...Macbeth Essay People isolate themselves when stressed or going through a hard time. In Macbeth, Macbeth becomes progressively isolated from society. An examination of Macbeth after Duncan’s murder, his paranoia, and his relationships with others by the end will demonstrate Macbeth’s growing isolation. Firstly, Macbeth’s social isolation begins after Duncan’s death. After murdering Duncan, Macbeth feels guilty and fears someone will find out. An example of this is when Macbeth says: “What hands are here? Ha! They pluck out mine eyes/Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood/Clean from my hand?” (2.2.76-78). Macbeth is paranoid and worries someone will discover that he has committed the murder. This initiates his isolation, and he begins to trust others less because he fears being caught. Secondly, Duncan’s death is often referred to as Macbeth’s largest inner turmoil. For instance, before murdering Banquo, Macbeth says: … Duncan is in his grave, After life’s fitful fever he sleeps well, … Malice domestic, foreign levy, nothing, Can touch him further! (3.2.24-28) Macbeth is still distraught over murdering Duncan. This stress causes his social isolation and deteriorating mental health. Overall, Macbeth’s isolation begins after murdering Duncan, and his guiltiness continues to be a problem....
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...1790 – Commentary: This excerpt from 1790 by Eleanor Dark explores the isolation experienced by an Aboriginal woman, Cunnembeillee and her white husband, Andrew. In this excerpt, Dark highlights the hardships, which Cunnembeillee faces through her fraught relationship. Emphasizing her feelings of separation from her tribe and from her husband, drawing out the sadness, which is felt not only by Cunnembeillee but also her husband. Dark explores the condition for women of the time of patriarchal societies through highlighting Cunnembeillee’s treatment she experienced by her husband. This piece is retrospective in the way that it was written at the time of the suffragette movement in Australia with the rise of feminism, which is clearly influential through the focus of the text. Ultimately this text will examine the idea of isolation, patriarchal societies and the use of language to portray assimilation. In this excerpt, the reader is exposed to the social condition in which Cunnembeillee is living in. Dark portrays the severity of isolation that Cunnembeillee experiences through the emphasis of differentiation of culture between her and her husband. When describing how Cunnembeillee “tried to amuse him and make him less heavy hearted by performing a little dance which was one of the most popular comedies of her tribe, he snarled at her and struck her with a stick” Dark utilizes dance as a symbol of Cunnembeillee attempting to express her emotions, a way for her to share a...
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...Masafuera, Chile, foretelling speeches to college students, and emotional letters to best friend David Foster Wallace, Jonathan Franzen’s essays in Farther Away delve into personal experiences that take a deeply haunting stance on a vast number of modern societal issues. He claims that hopeless isolation clouds individuals in their search for meaning, further perpetuated by the increasing dependency and materialistic pursuit of technology and consumeristic goods. However, in all this, Franzen remains optimistic as he reveals hopeful possibilities for authentic connections through the bonds he forms with birds. The interaction between hopeless isolation and the yearning for authentic connections produces a profound internal conflict within the individual. What is to resolve this battle? Ultimately, Franzen believes that this interminable isolation is cured through the intertwined processes of reading and writing. Isolation is a focal concept in Franzen’s work that he elucidates through his personal history. On a drive back to St. Louis from Minneapolis, Franzen recounts his past: he had just “spent an outstandingly fun week” with his cousins, but loathed his return to his home, back to isolation (“Our Little Planet” 273). His home was the “quiet, dark, air-conditioned house”, and his cousin’s home was “the convivial planet” (“Our Little Planet” 274). Coincidentally, the historical landing of the Apollo 11 occurs on the same day, leading Franzen to draw similarities between Neil Armstrong’s...
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...Gianna Luna Mr. Jackson Literature in Modern Media P.2 April 5th, 2017 Isolation and Alienation The idea of alienation and isolation is the sense of not belonging to a community of to oneself. Throughout the novel Frankenstein, both Victor and Frankenstein experience isolation and alienation through society, family, and work to a point where it leads to being violent and antisocial. Throughout the story Shelley so different examples of isolation but the one we notice the most is the isolation and alienation of the monster, Frankenstein. He was created through isolation and alienation, being so different and not like the rest of society, Frankenstein kept to himself and hide away to be isolated. In the story Frankenstein and Victors paths...
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...defining book The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan, explore the challenges faced with being different. Although there are some slight differences, they are overcome by the striking amount of similarities. Characters in both texts come face-to-face with the challenge of being different, which consumes most of the texts. However , there are minor differences that revolve around society’s reactions to the challenges and changes faced by some individuals, such Edward Scissorhands and “the thing”. Conformity and social isolation are both explored and scrutinised deeply throughout both texts, with strong messages delivered about the problems with being different. Whilst the texts focus so strongly on the challenges or problems of being different, they ironically reveal a stronger message about the ignorance of a society that behaves exactly the same. Conformity is a result of the influenced change in one’s behaviour and beliefs in order to fit in with a group or individuals or society. It is a main theme explored in Edward Scissorhands and The Lost Thing. The ‘thing’ in The Lost Thing is different as it is a red mechanical being , as opposed to the human characters on the beach in the book. Alternately, Edward’s character In Edward Scissorhands is seen as different from he neighbourhood, as he hides himself away in a dark castle, away from the bright, sunny town. He has scissors for hands and has pale features with dark hair, as opposed to the human neighbours. This is seen in the barbecue...
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...Isolation Anybody can feel isolated or alienated, and therefore must face certain struggles because of it. These people are often bullied for being different, feel unwanted, and have low self-esteem issues which can result in further isolation and other irreversible consequences. Isolation is not only expressed in real life, but literature as well, in the stories The Metamorphosis, Revenge of the Geeks, and The Doll House, many of the stories feel isolated from society and feel as if they are outcasts to those they know. In the Franz Kafka’s short story, The Metamorphosis, the main character Gregor wakes up one morning as an insect. His family is quick to shun him and turn him into an outcast and push him to a point of isolation rather than...
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...one that is rich with ideas on how mankind can be able to utilize knowledge for evil and good intentions. The book also brings out how some individual, those without knowledge or ‘defected’, are treated by society at large. In another instance, the book helps to illustrate how mankind views and is affected by technology. One of the main characters of the story is Victor Frankenstein. Victor is a young scientist obsessed with finding the unknown secret of life. To this end, he manages to create a creature out of dead organs; in his laboratory. At first, the monster is gentle, but mankind negative attitude and fear towards it manages to change that. To this end, the monster seeks revenge towards its creator; it manages to do so by killing close relatives of its creator. The book clearly illustrates the theme of alienation and the innocent bystanders that are directly affected by it. Frankenstein and his character are presented as one complete thing; with one being a complement of the other. This paper aims to explore and support the theme of alienation in Mary’s book. The book starts with a clear illustration of alienation in the form of the scientist; victor. Victor has faced alienation almost his entire life. The alienation is seen from his childhood, work, and the society at large. The life of victor is that of science; his mission and goal being that of trying to understand the intricacies of life. In addition, the young scientist is intrigued by the miracles presented by...
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